* THE HEALING TOUCH OF TECHNOLOGY {1999, 2010}

By Vince Chiarelli, PTR, MRT and Owner of String Along With Vince in Largo

Stand sideways in front of a full-length mirror. What do you observe about your posture? Your ears are supposed to be lined up over your shoulders. Your hips are supposed to be lined up under your shoulders. If you are like me, something probably doesn't line up! You can hear a warning voice saying, "Stand up straight!" but you can't seem to make it happen. What's going on here?

To unravel this mystery of bad muscle habits, I visited with Al Meilus at Meilus Muscular Therapy & Sports in Pinellas Park, Florida. In the mirror test my shoulders were rounded so that I hunched forward and my head was pulled forward. My neck and shoulders ached and I could feel spasms in my upper back muslces. My head was so far forward it was being supported by my neck muscles rather than by my spine. Furthermore, I was off-balance because of my poorly positioned center of gravity. As you might expect, these problems had a negative effect on my tennis game, too, since my reach was restricted.

How did I get into this situation? As Al noted, many of our day-to-day activities (eating, reading, using the computer) and favorite sports (tennis!) emphasize forward motion. Al said to visualize all the muscles as groups of stretchable cables that move the skeleton around. One set of muscles may get "work-hardened" and shortened. If the opposing muscles are weaker, they can't win the tug-of-war to keep the skeleton aligned properly. Eventually the shortened, hard muscles pull the skeleton in their direction and the opposing muscles get tired. Sometimes the muscles get "knotted" and pinch nerves to cause pain. Other muscles try to compensate for the original problem and you can feel pain other places.

You may have heard of or tried any number of remedies for tight muscles, from pills to hot tubs, from stretching to rubbing. None of these things work directly on the problem of shortened muscles. Al explained the danger this way: "If you work against a shortened muscle, you lose performance, you feel pain, and if you overstretch, you can injure it by tearing. Also, over-exerted muscles lose their natural ability to cleanse themselves of waste chemicals such as lactic acid." So the goal is to get all your muscles lengthened and relaxed to their natural state, and to expel the waste chemicals. Al explained the purpose of lengthening this way: "If you lengthen the muscles, pain caused by muscle problems goes away. Lengthening muscles increases flexibility and increased flexibility benefits every aspect of life." The Meilus Muscular Therapy Method uses pressure in a specific way to start a reaction that begins the healing process. This therapy method doesn't compete or conflict with others and often helps speed and improve the results of other treatments. Al works with trainers of professional sports teams, physical therapists, orthopaedic specialists, and other health practitioners.

Al is an engineer by education (BSEE and MSEE) and experience (automation engineer with GE), and a caring therapist by choice. He brings a unique, engineering systems approach to muscular therapy in three outstanding ways. First, he evaluates the total state of a person rather than just responding to an initial complaint. In my case, my aches and pains were in my shoulders and back, but my problem was in my chest muscles. Second, he uses patented robotic devices to get those muscles lengthened rapidly and effectively. In my case, it took less than an hour in one visit to undo several years of accumulated problems! Third, Al spends as much time as necessary on patient education about cause, prevention, and self-treatment of problems.

The robot pictured with this article [in original publication] is the current model of a series Al invented. He has received a series of grants and awards from the Department of Energy and has a working relationship with Lockheed Martin, The University of South Florida, and the Southern Technology Application Center to bring his revolutionary approach to muscular therapy from prototype to practicality. The current model has programs for muscle sets and can operate unattended. The robot's sensors detect the state of the muscle and that data is used to direct the application of pressure to "release" the "knots" and allow the muscle to relax. The treatment is very gentle and effective.

For more information about the Meilus Muscular Therapy Method for performance improvement and pain relief, contact Al Meilus at 727-547-1233, Meilus Muscular Therapy & Sports, 8301 49th Street North, Pinellas Park, FL 33781. ADDED 2010: ENTER "MEILUS MUSCULAR THERAPY" IN GOOGLE OR GO TO WWW.MEILUS.COM.

By Peg Chiarelli
Copyright 1999 (Previously published in THE LATEST RACQUET - Jul/Aug, 1999)